


The Space Between Us

by StarlightHawke



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: 707 is genderfluid, F/F, F/M, Love Through The Ages, M/M, MC is nonbinary, Other, Unrequited interest, genderfluid!707, lgbt zine, nb!707, nb!mc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-06 18:48:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19068520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightHawke/pseuds/StarlightHawke
Summary: Set in a futuristic AU, Saeyoung is on a planet that’s far better than the one he came from. It’s his goal to bring his brother there as well, but along the way, he meets a mysterious and captivating person.





	The Space Between Us

You only look at Saeyoung when he’s busy.

Like right now, flashing him a smile that hits him like a kick in the chest, breath  _ whooshing  _ out of his lungs and leaving him staggered. Hands deep in the innards of a mining pod, full of grease and red dust and god knows what else, all he can do is try to return some semblance of a grin. Judging by the way you cover your mouth and your shoulders shake, he must appear quite a sight in his junky jeans and stained shirt, red hair doing whatever it pleases and his glasses slipping down his nose. Not that it matters, since he’ll gladly play the fool just to see your eyes twinkle like that. 

You haven’t left yet, instead watching him with a curious head tilt, curly hair bouncing in the breeze. All the attention causes blood to rush to his cheeks, and he allows himself to extract a hand, nudge his glasses up where they belong and wave. Again you giggle and he mourns that he can’t hear that gorgeous sound, the music in his ears overpowering it. Someone else runs up next to your side and you turn away, following them as they tug you toward the side of the settlement you live on. His smile turns bittersweet as he watches, heart filled with the longing to come with you. When you glance over your shoulder and find him staring, you grin and wave, tapping the tip of your nose before rounding a corner to disappear.

Is that a message? Frowning, he gingerly touches his own before shrugging and getting back to work. It’s hard to tell, since you’re both from different places. A different set of ideals and rules, social norms and expectations. 

But somehow he knows if he can manage to find you when he’s not occupied, he can overcome those barriers. That thought carries him through the rest of the day until he’s standing in front of the mirror in his bathroom, preparing to take a shower. It’s then he notices the dark streak down the center of his nose and groans, leaning forward until his head thunks into the glass.

No wonder you were laughing.

~~~~~~

The city is big. It was the first thought he’d had when he’d been offered the coveted position and had seen the brochure. Then when he was breaking through the atmosphere, flying toward the surface, it hit him again as he saw how far it sprawled over the continent. One of the biggest trading posts in the galaxy, people continually coming and going. Only those at the top of their fields work here, and Saeyoung had worked long and hard for this chance.

The chance to finally get off that wretched excuse of a planet he’d been birthed on. The chance to save those who were close to him.

Two years is all it takes. Two years to get past the introductory period and then he can petition to bring in family if he likes. Thanks to his willingness to work all hours of the day and the flexibility in what he can do, those years flew by and he earned a fair amount of brownie points with those in charge. Part of it is due to luck, really; the luck that he repaired several things at the hospital, enough to get to know one of the residents. Dr. Yoosung Kim, a young prodigy who’s able to provide stellar care to all humanoids. Innocent, cute and a tad naive, Saeyoung had teased his way into a friendship without realizing just how heavy of a weight that friendship bore. Yoosung introduced him to his cousin and her husband who were in charge of the hospital, who happened to know two important members of the city council. Several small get-togethers passed, and he found himself somehow a part of a group of important people and unsure how he got there.

Not that he’s going to complain. Friends are nice, good. And having friends in the right places helps with getting the approval for his brother to join him in this new life. It’s only a few days after he turns in the carefully written request that he receives a request-to-chat from Jumin Han, leader of the council. A touch to the side of his fancy new glasses causes a projection to form around him and he’s suddenly glad to be sitting on his sofa at home. The room has shifted to reflect an office worthy of the head councilman, filled with the newest and best technology and only the most ornate furniture. 

“Ah, Saeyoung. I’m pleased you could accept my call.” Jumin turns from where he was standing facing the wall, a glass of wine in hand as he inclines his head in greeting. “I trust the dish I sent home with you last week was pleasing?”

Breaking into a wide smile, Saeyoung nods enthusiastically. The dinner with his friends was at Jumin’s penthouse last week, Jumin deciding that the poorest among them needed some of his expensive cuisine. The name had been impossible to pronounce and Saeyoung forgot it right away, but that didn’t dampen the delicious flavor one bit. “It was  _ phenomenal. _ I’ve never tasted anything so amazing!” 

Jumin hums, the hint of a smile playing upon his lips. “Excellent. I must send you some others, too. No, don’t bother objecting,” he says, holding up a hand as soon as Saeyoung’s brows furrow. “I have made up my mind and it will not be changed.”

Oh well. There are worse things than free food, right? Shrugging, Saeyoung relaxes into the cushions and throws his arms behind his head. “All I can say is thanks, haha. Wanna throw in a visit with Elly for me, too?” 

“Absolutely not.”

“What? Whyyyyy, she’s so beautiful and soft and I wanna give her all the cuddles and squeezes-”

“That’s quite enough.” Saeyoung’s mouth snaps shut when Jumin cuts him off, but the lopsided grin doesn’t disappear. “That is not why I called. I wanted to tell you that your request for your brother to join you was approved.”

It’s a good thing he’s sitting down, otherwise he would’ve tumbled to the floor in shock. “Already? Damn…” He lets out a whistle, eyes floating to the ceiling and smile softening. “Man, I can’t wait to see how much he likes it here…”

Never one to dawdle, Jumin continues without pausing. Saeyoung listens, excitement growing as the words sink in. The notification of acceptance will be sent out tomorrow and Saeran will be on the first ship he can catch. When Jumin disappears from his view and silence fills the room, he can barely move, still processing the news. Everything is moving so fast. 

It usually takes months to a request approved. Then the applicant has to get in contact with and make arrangements for their family member. The entire process can take up to a year, especially if there’s more than one person coming. And yet here he is, less than a week after turning in the forms, secure in the knowledge that not only is Saeran coming but that everything is being taken care of for him.

For the first time in his entire life, everything is going smoothly. Only one thing would make it better.

If he could just figure out how to find you.

~~~~~~

As usual, the incoming platform is crowded, even on a Wednesday morning. Saeyoung barely manages to nudge her way to the front, eyes locked on the closed door of the ship. Despite not having slept, energy thrums through her as she waits, more than ready to reunite with Saeran. Yoosung had spent the night (“just like childhood sleepovers,” he’d exclaimed, but Saeyoung didn’t have the heart to tell him she’d never done that) to help her calm down but to no avail, instead falling asleep at 4am still dressed with his head in her lap. Somehow sleep had only magnified his cuteness, hair mussed and curled up like a little puppy. 

It’s hard to wait for all the passengers to disembark, her patience wearing thin by the time a familiar head of red comes into view. Rather than use the technological way to flag down Saeran, she’d went all-out and had made a huge sign in tandem with Yoosung, complete with doodles of ice cream and sloppy letters. As she stands there, both hands occupied by holding it, she watches as he makes his way down the ramp, surveying the crowd until - ah, there. He saw her. An excited squeal erupts from her and she jumps, her glasses nudging their way down each time she hits the ground. 

“Can you- can you not do that,” Saeran mumbles once he’s close enough to hear, cringing when she throws the sign to the side and wraps her arms around him as tight as she can. Despite his grumpy words he returns the hug, body relaxing into her hold. 

“Not do what, little brother?” A final squeeze and she releases him, stepping back and wiping away fake tears with an exaggerated sniffle. 

Saeran kicks a foot at the ground, hands shoved into his pocket as he attempts to hide his blush behind his shaggy hair. The dust mask may hide his mouth, but she can tell by his eyes he’s smiling. “Be embarrassing.” 

Laughter bursts out of her, free and delighted at the familiar teasing. “Ah, but a lady cannot be embarrassing!” Throwing her arm over his shoulder, Saeyoung swears that if her grin gets any larger, it’ll split her face. But she’s just so  _ happy _ right now; her other half has finally joined her. Two years had felt like forever without him by her side. Every day spent worrying about if he’s getting enough to eat, if he’s getting the care he needs…

Creases appear between her brows as she frowns, mouth tilted down. “How has it been? I’m sorry I was gone for so long.” The walk to where Yoosung’s waiting isn’t long, her steps slowing to give him time to answer without an audience.

She can feel the shrug under her arm even though he avoids meeting her eyes. A little piece of her heart breaks and falls into the void in her soul at the action, regret swelling inside. It had hurt to leave him behind but it had been necessary for them; hopefully he knew that?

“Could’ve been worse.” Not what she wanted to hear. “I got out but was living on the streets for a while. Met a guy who took me in. He had come from a bad family too, had been trying to get off-planet for ages. Wanted to be a singer. Damn, that guy could sing.”

“Yeah?” So Saeran had made a friend. Saeyoung made a note in the back of her mind to mention that to Jumin and find out if there’s anything they can do to help..

“Yeah. Few months ago a bad case of the plague going around. Hittin’ everyone, killing most. He got it and shook it off in a few days.” A quiet chuckle escapes Saeran and he shakes his head in amusement. “Never seen anyone like him. He was so happy when I got the summons, you know? Thrilled that I got to leave. Said maybe it would give me the chance to...” He falls quiet, chewing on his lip. “Saeyoung, there’s something I need to-”

_ Thud! _

Something solid hits her and the next thing she knows she’s greeted by the sky, body sprawled on the ground. She blinks once in confusion, about to push herself up when your face pops into view. You’re speaking quickly in a language she isn’t familiar with and gesturing over someone. A… man? No, or… yes? No, it doesn’t matter their gender. But they’re large, probably what she ran into. Pushing herself up into a sitting position, she glances over to find Saeran on his side in the fetal position. 

“Sorry. Jevin wasn’t looking where they were going.” Your speech is halting when you swap, accent thick, but you get it right. “Is they okay?” 

“Uh, it’s fine, it’s, ah, haha… he just got off the ship.” The concrete is cold and hard under her fingers as she makes her way over to Saeran, anxiety cropping up when she can’t see his face. That’s never a good sign with him; he only hides his face when he’s trying to keep an illness in the dark. “I think… he just needs some rest?”

“Ship ride is hard.” 

God, why did this have to happen _now?_ _Finally_ face-to-face with you and your voice is like music from heaven but she can’t tear her attention from her trembling twin. There’s a niggling feeling inside that something is _wrong,_ terribly wrong. Where is Yoosung? Are they close enough for him to see? She taps on the side of her glasses and sends him a message: _Help._

“You fix pod, yes?” 

Bless you for not giving up and walking away. Saeyoung glances up at you and nods, a pleased smile flashing across her face. “Yeah, that’s me! I’m surprised you recognized me.”

Your brows knit together and you glance at your friend. “Why? You don’t look different. Still the same person.” 

The simplicity of the statement makes all of her fears and insecurities seem insignificant. Years of intolerance toward her fluidity are hard to reprogram, even when on a planet where no one cares about gender. Never has she heard anyone put it so plainly; she is still the same person. She’s vaguely aware of her mouth hanging open as she gawks at you as footsteps and a voice she knows approaches. Saeran’s lifted from the ground and she’s still staring at you, dumbfounded, heart thumping when you giggle. “Tha… thanks,” she manages, waving. “I gotta… gotta go.”

Then she’s in Yoosung’s car and you’re disappearing from view again.

~~~~~~

To say the singer Saeran spoke of is beautiful would be a drastic understatement.

Saeran’s collapse was a result of him having the plague rampant on their home planet. Immediately he was hospitalized and placed in isolation, doctors working around the clock to keep him stable. Even through her panic, Saeyoung knew her best course of action would be to call Jumin and tell him about the strange man who contracted the plague and survived it.

The disease was considered a death sentence across all planets. No one recovered from it.

No one until Hyun, that is.

Upon arrival, Hyun’s first request was to visit Saeran in the hospital. Under any other circumstance, Saeyoung would’ve met him at the platform herself but she refused to leave her brother’s side. It felt like a bad dream, to have him back only to face the possibility she’d lose him once more - permanently..

The sound of an argument outside of the room seeps into her unconscious mind, rousing her from an impromptu nap. Groaning, she lifts her head off the mattress, rubbing the side of her sore neck. Not the best position to sleep in. Saeran likes to tease her whenever this happens but he’s distracted, his book lying forgotten on his lap as he stares at the door with visible anticipation. Excitement, even. It’s the first time Saeyoung’s seen such an expression on him in far too long. Yet another reason to thank this Hyun guy.

After several minutes of loud squabbling, the door bursts open to allow in the most attractive man - no,  _ person _ \- Saeyoung’s ever been blessed with seeing. Snow white hair frames a face that, although lined with worry, could only be described as angelic. The two do a double-take at each other, Saeyoung shocked by both Hyun’s beauty as well as the lack of protective equipment on him. That must have been what was going on outside. 

A chuckle draws her attention back to Saeran. “Leave it to you to refuse to put on the safety gear.”

“Well, with health as amazing as mine, why waste it? Save it for someone else who genuinely needs it.” Somehow said in both a cocky and caring manner, Hyun crosses the room to take a seat on the other side of the bed, placing a hand on top of Saeran’s. Saeyoung’s heart skips a beat and she forces back the jealousy that threatens to engulf her; there must be more to their relationship than Saeran let on. He doesn’t like it when she touches his hand, but he isn’t withdrawing from Hyun. 

But now is neither the time nor the place for her to have an issue with that.

“Thank you for coming,” she says, meeting those intense red eyes with her own unyielding gaze. “And for being willing to let the doctors, ah…”

“Make me a test subject?” A hint of amusement flashes over Hyun’s face before he preens. “It was only a matter of time. After all, who  _ wouldn’t _ want to understand the source of this beauty and immunity to disease?” Followed up by a wink, Saeyoung finds herself flustered by this man. “In all seriousness, though, of course I’d come. It would truly be a crime to let someone like Saeran…” He tapers off, but there’s no question what he means.

The silence is heavy, pressing down on her shoulders until she blurts out something just to break it. “Saeran didn’t tell me how handsome you are.” Ah. Not exactly what she wanted to say.

Both find it amusing, Saeran reaching over to shove her shoulder while Hyun lets out a delighted laugh. “Quite a shock, eh? I’m not surprised. He didn’t bother to mention his absent twin was such a beautiful woman, either~” 

Heat spreads through her cheeks and she has to look away to recover. Not only is she not used to being flirted with like this, she’s rarely referred to as  _ beautiful. _ It’s… nice. “Haha… that’s probably because he wasn’t sure what I am these days…” 

Saeran snickers. “Or because it doesn’t fucking matter what gender you are, idiot. You’re still my twin and my sibling, and that’s all that really matters, right?”

Ah, shit. She’s unsure how to handle such a compliment from him. The heartfelt ones like this are rare, and then on top of the one from Hyun… gahhh. How to brain? Why did it shut down? “Thanks, Saeran,” she ekes out after what feels like an eternity spent trying to string those two words together.

“Don’t go getting all mushy on me. I’m just telling the truth.” 

A smile curls her lips and she peeks at him from the corner of her eye. Grumpy voice or not, that shows he meant it. And that’s the most wonderful news she’s had all day.

~~~~~~

Time flies by and soon a year has passed. There have been glimpses of you during that time, mostly when he’s at work and is lucky to exchange a simple sentence with you. Yoosung reverse-engineered a vaccine from Hyun’s blood in tandem with one of the council members, Jaehee, after almost 8 months of study. The cure is proving to be a little more tricky, but thankfully, after a few doses of the vaccine, Saeran is no longer contagious and is stable. He lives in some apartments near the hospital along with Hyun, but Saeyoung hasn’t been able to parse what the nature of their relationship is. 

Of course, he could just  _ ask _ but why ruin the fun in playing detective?

Today’s work takes him to the outgoing platform to repair one of the kiosks responsible for checking people in. Each one is designed with top-of-the-line artificial intelligence, capable of scanning potential passengers and reporting factors such as age, weight, blood pressure and other vitals. 

All he needs to do is open it and find the faulty connections blocking its ability to perform the actual scans. There’s a myriad of different things that could be the root of the issue, some mechanical, some technical, some digital. It came as a surprise he was sent since this is much higher technology than he’s usually allowed to touch, but perhaps this is a test.

Or maybe the other technicians are off. Who knows.

It’s a busy day, passengers and family milling about as he weaves his way through to Check-In And Registration Assistant A606. He can’t ignore the interesting coincidence that this is the outgoing match to the kiosk he went through when he arrived; the number 707 on his had caught his eye, and he’d taken it to heart as a symbol of a new life. 

If the universe is trying to tell him something by having him fix this particular one, he’s not certain he wants to decipher the message.

“Hey there, CIARA. Let’s get you all fixed up and working beautifully again.” Setting down the pack filled with a myriad of tools, he starts by running a diagnostic scan. It comes back with an unknown error, the entire machine lighting up an angry red. Of course it wouldn’t be so easy. With a sigh, he gets to work, checking things off his list of ‘could-be’s’. The sun creeps across the sky as he continues, ignoring the rumbles of his neglected belly and the sweat trickling down his face. The longer he goes, the more fascinated he becomes. It’s looking more and more like an issue with the software, which means he can dive headlong into some actual code for the first time at this job.

Coding has always come to him easier than the rest, and once he’s neck-deep in it doesn’t take long for him to find and quarantine the affected strings. Night falls but still his fingers move across the holographic keyboard, entranced in the numbers and how they’re constantly shifting in front of him.

The problem with AI is that sometimes it tries to fix itself and makes the issue worse. CIARA A606 appears to have been one of those cases, a sloppy band-aid applied to try to hold its programming together. Even as the moon rises he continues to work, meticulously extracting every fiber of that failure and then beginning the healing process of the gaping wound. 

Adrenaline is all that keeps him going until the morning comes to find him stretching, arms raised high and his spine popping in several places. “There we go, babe,” he murmurs, patting the side of the contraption and stifling a yawn. Already the surrounding platform is bustling again, chatter and laughter as well as sobbing drifting through the air. Squinting around him, he determines the only way to know for sure if his solution is viable is by a couple of test runs. 

The lane around him opens with the push of a few buttons, admitting a small line of visibly uncertain people to approach. “Good morning,” he greets, crooked grin in place. “Just fixed up this beauty, care to give her a go?”

The transaction goes as smoothly as he could have hoped, pride blooming in his chest. His first legitimate assignment and he nailed it. Sure, it was an all-nighter but since they’d given him an open schedule to deal with it, he’s free to go home and fall into the comfort of his mattress and sleep for the next week if he wants. He monitors a few more transactions before packing up, bag slung over his shoulder as he opens the kiosk up for business again. 

“One moment,” he says apologetically when the next passenger steps up, typing the commands into A606 so that it can operate at a fully functional level again. “Just gotta finish this and then I’ll get out of your way.”

“Feel free to stay in my way.”

The voice is thick with an accent, playful yet melancholic. Simply hearing it makes his heart thump hard in his chest, his stomach dropping heavily when he turns around to find himself face-to-face with you. 

Your lips are curved in a smile but it’s more sorrowful than anything else, your eyes reflecting his own dread. No, no, nononono it can’t be. This can’t be where he meets you again, not now, now like this!

His feet are frozen in place but you seem to understand, stepping around him to access CIARA. The machine whirrs to life, going through the process without a single hiccup and he curses himself, curses himself for fixing it so well because maybe if he didn’t, maybe if he’d let it be broken you wouldn’t be here right now, using to fly out of his life completely.

“Will you be back?” There’s so many things he wants to say, to tell you. Questions and answers and so much, but only this one comes out. 

You pause, ignoring the prompt to board the ship. “No.” A single word laced with regret causes his heart to tremble. “I’m sorry.”

It’s strange, but he knows what you’re apologizing for. All the missed connections, all the times neither of you stepped forward to reach out. For never crossing when the space between you was small and surmountable. 

And now it’s too late.

“Me too.”

Then he’s watching you walk away one final time, a sickening crack only audible to him coming from his chest. He doesn’t move, not even when you’ve disappeared into the crowd or when the ship has taken off, transporting you somewhere out of his grasp. Forever. It isn’t until his glasses chime with an incoming call that he snaps out of it, shaking his head and turning to leave. A tap on the frames has him  listening to Yoosung stumble over his words as he excitedly tells Saeyoung that he thinks this is it. They’ve had a breakthrough on the cure, and he’s sure it won’t be much longer before they’re able to give Saeran back his health.

“That’s great, Yoo,” he whispers, casting a glance up at the sky. “Best news I’ve heard all day.” Perhaps it’s a trade-off, you for his brother. Sucking in a breath, he forces a smile on his face and picks up speed, heading toward the area where he parked. “I’ll be there soon.”

 


End file.
